How to show an individual YTickLabel to the right of the single Y axis?

Hello,

I would like to place an YTickLabel to the right of the Y axis. Currently, my figure looks like this:

Now, I would like to move the lower label $-M_{r0}$ (which is overlapping with the graph) to the right of the Y axis. How can I achieve that? Thanks!

Here's my MWE:

close all;
set(groot, 'defaultAxesTickLabelInterpreter','latex'); 

figure1=figure('Position',[320 50 600 450]);
axes1=axes('Parent',figure1,'FontSize',14);
o=linspace(-5,5,1000);
M=sign(o).*(10+o.^2);
plot1=plot(o,M,'Parent',axes1,'LineWidth',2);
set(plot1,'Color',[1 0 0]);
ylabel('Torque $M_r(\omega)$','FontSize',14,'Interpreter','latex');
xlabel('Velocity $\omega$','FontSize',14,'Interpreter','latex');
title('');

set(gca,'xtick',[],'xticklabel',[]);
set(gca,'ytick',[-10,10],'yticklabel',{'\fontsize{14pt}{17pt}$-M_{r0}$','\fontsize{14pt}{17pt}$M_{r0}$'});
set(gca,'XAxisLocation','origin','YAxisLocation','origin'); 
axp=get(gca,'Position'); % needed to put arrows in the right position
annotation('arrow', [axp(1) axp(1)+axp(3)],[axp(2)+axp(4)/2 axp(2)+axp(4)/2]);
annotation('arrow', [axp(1)+axp(3)/2 axp(1)+axp(3)/2],[axp(2) axp(2)+axp(4)]);
box off;

Answer 1

[Ameer Hamza]

Instead of using ylabel to write the labels, use annotation to place the labels at the required position. For example,

set(gca,'ytick',[],'yticklabel',[]); % remove the yticks
annotation('textbox', 'String', '\fontsize{14pt} -M_{r0}', 'Position', [0.5, 0.4 0.1 0.1], 'EdgeColor', [1 1 1])
annotation('textbox', 'String', '\fontsize{14pt} M_{r0}', 'Position', [0.5, 0.6 0.1 0.1], 'EdgeColor', [1 1 1])

You might need to experiment with the position property to get the desired position.

Edit: To keep the location of labels linked with your graph values, use the following statements

text('String', '\fontsize{14pt} -M_{r0}', 'Position', [1 -3])
text('String', '\fontsize{14pt} M_{r0}', 'Position', [1 3])

Here Position property specifies the x and y data value on the graph, not the normalized coordinates (0 to 1) as required by annotation(). So if the axis limit change, these labels will also change accordingly.

[Greg]

This has lots of traps, such as the mentioned "experiment to get position." But also now probably can't zoom, pan, rotate the plot. Painful if you have more than a few such tick labels.

[rai7aeLa]

Thanks, this kind of works. It is not really satisfying though. When I change the first element in the "Position" vector, but of only one of the two annotations, to influence x coordinate of the corresponding textbox, both annotations are placed different in relation to the graph. It seems very hard to find the right coordinates by making single changes.

[Ameer Hamza]

I agree with @Greg's point that it can cause problems if you try to modify the axes view.

But the problem mentioned by @Benedikt is strange since each annotation has independent position property. Changing position property of one should have no influence on the other. The position is defined as

[horizontal_position vertical_position width height]

so if you want to move one annotation, other annotation should not move. You should first tune the position of the first annotation and then tune the second annotation box independently.

[rai7aeLa]

Ameer, I should have phrased that differently. The position coordinate of the textbox, between 0 and 1, really behaves deterministic. What (seemingly randomly) changes is the "scaling" of the graph (like if I changed ylim) and thus the relative position of the two ticks with respect to the graph. I am currently trying to specify ylim without breaking other things, but no luck so far. As soon as I use this property, the normal ticks start to appear.

Is there a way to enter annotation coordinates not in the range 0 to 1, but in the range of the values of the plotted data? E.g. Mr0=10, like I used in the line

M=sign(o).*(10+o.^2);

so place the tick at y=10, like in my original script using ylabel?

[Ameer Hamza]

I got your point. If you want to link the labels with axis values, then use text(). Please refer to the updated answer.

[rai7aeLa]

Thanks!

[Ameer Hamza]

You are welcome.

Answer 2

[Greg]

It isn't elegant, but space pad the tick label until it shows up better.

[rai7aeLa]

I have tried, but it does not work: Spaces are indeed added, but the position of the visible part (-Mr0) stays the same. Maybe the text is aligned to the right?

[Greg]

Yes, it is right justified to the Y axis. You'd had to right-pad until the text moves to the left.